Dynasty Waivers Of The Future: Week 8

Waivers are like an auction. Play the best value. Some weeks are a chance to load up in the backfield. Others, wide receivers emerge. Week 7 was light on running backs gaining value, but multiple quarterback rooms shifted, and the leaguewide trend of significant receiver injuries continued.  This article will discuss deep league waiver additions, focusing on Dynasty league formats. 

Players will fall into four primary categories: 

• Short-term Starters - Players capable of providing immediate production in deep leagues. 
• Proactive Pickups - Players who need the depth chart to be clear before them but are more available than other players in a similar role. 
• Deep Darts - Speculative players who have a chance at value.
• Dynasty Buys - Players whose values have changed, and the market may not have caught up.

Quarterbacks

Short Term Starters

Mason Rudolph, Tennessee (31% Sleeper rostered) 

The Titans had a Week 5 bye, so it was a bit surprising that Will Levis maintained his starting quarterback position in Week 6, following Rudolph's Week 4 victory in relief. Levis failing to hit 100 passing yards and losing a winnable game to the Colts in Week 6 was enough, and the switch was made. 

It is Rudolph's team now. 

Rudolph did not light the Bills up, but his 215 passing yards are more than Levis had posted in all but one of his last seven starts. In deeper Superflex quarterbacks, all 32 quarterbacks hold potential value. Rudolph is one of the 32. 

Marcus Mariota, Washington (11% Sleeper rostered) 

Jayden Daniels left Week 7 early with a rib injury. Though ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the injury holds a "week-to-week" label, there is optimism the injury was not as bad as initial concerns. Daniels is very questionable for Week 8. If he misses, Mariota is next up.

The matchup is not ideal. The Bears have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to the quarterback position, and Mariota is likely to have a one- or two-week stopgap start in Superflex formats. He finished Week 7 as the QB9 overall in scoring and has the athletic skill set to add rushing yards. The Commanders' offense has been humming, and he took advantage of the matchup against Carolina, but in the best case, he is a fringe QB2 for Week 8. 

Jameis Winston, Cleveland (39% Sleeper rostered)
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Cleveland (18% Sleeper rostered) 

Deshaun Watson is out of the season. Until Week 7, Winston would have been the obvious assumed choice to step into the lineup. Of course, it is the Browns, so they made Winston the emergency third quarterback and inserted Thompson-Robinson as the backup. 

The Week 8 starter has yet to be announced. 

Winston is the best choice for all the Browns' fantasy options. He is proven capable of getting the ball to his playmakers and showed a connection with Cedric Tillman. His fearless gunslinger mentality instantly invokes visions of Joe Flacco's 2023 resurrection. That led to David Njoku's run as the overall TE1 over the second half. 

Hypothetically, Thompson-Robinson's rushing game could make him the best "fantasy" quarterback. He topped 20 rushing yards in his 2023 starts and ran for 44 in Week 7. Thompson-Robinson's career-high passing yards is 165, and he has shown no ability to support other fantasy pieces. 

Winston "should" be the easy choice. But the Browns already traded away Amari Cooper and may be able to give Thompson-Robinson an extended run. 

Gardner Minshew II, Las Vegas (57% Sleeper rostered) 

Minshew lost the starting quarterback job for all of five quarters. A fractured thumb put Aidan O'Connell on IR and thrusts Minshew back into the lineup. 

Minshew started the season hot through the first two weeks, averaging 266.5 yards and completing 77% of his passes, including an upset win over Baltimore. He fell off a cliff, falling below 140 passing yards in both Weeks 4 and 5.

Supporting Brock Bowers is the most significant fantasy concern out of the quarterback position, with Davante Adams now gone. But like Rudolph, Minshew is one of the 32.

Proactive Pickups

Jake Haener, New Orleans (12% Sleeper rostered)

Last week, Winston, Minshew, and Rudolph were all labeled Proactive Pickups. Their value increased. Haener now may have the best chance of earning a starting job without an injury. Well, Spencer Rattler is already injured, suffering a hip pointer in Week 7. Derek Carr is also injured, though he avoided IR placement, and the team hopes to have him back. Rattler struggled in his second start, and the Saints lost five straight. Carr's initial prognosis had him out for three weeks; we are now on that third week. Haener is a consideration in only the deepest leagues.

Drew Lock, NY Giants (2% Sleeper rostered)

Daniel Jones' contract has a $23 million injury guarantee. It has an out before the 2025 season; the Giants can get out of $30 million and spread his cap hit to $11 million for each of 2025 and 2026. 

He also has performance incentives. $250K hits at 19 touchdown passes, 3,325 passing yards, 24 total touchdowns, 3,700 total yards, and then $500K at 65% of snaps if the team makes the playoffs. 

The Giants looked headed for a potential turnaround after beating the Seahawks in Week 5 to move to 2-3. Two losses since, and a problematic Sunday night road game at Pittsburgh ends that. I said I would buy Jones a couple of weeks ago. I was wrong. He must turn it around immediately to avoid losing his starting position. 

Dynasty Buy

Matthew Stafford, LA Rams

Stafford trade rumors popped up on Tuesday. After a complex contract negotiation that resulted in Stafford forfeiting future guaranteed money, at least testing the free agent market is inevitable. 

Stafford had climbed to QB23 in Dynasty value to start the 2023 season, but he has struggled since Week 2, scoring 8.7 fantasy points per game, ranking him QB36 in PPG. 

One of two things is likely to happen to change the tide. Either a rumored trade comes to fruition. Or Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua return to the lineup. Either way, Stafford is the cheapest route to a player who could post 300+ passing-yard games regularly during the fantasy stretch run.